FORMER Anti Austerity Alliance councillor Cian Prendiville has been announced as the People Before Profit European Election candidate for Ireland South.
Mr Prendiville was selected at a meeting last week to represent the party in the Ireland South constituency.
Cian is a former councillor for Limerick City and came close to taking a seat in the 2016 General Election on the back of leading the anti-water charges movement in Limerick.
Commenting on his selection he said: “I am delighted to have been selected to represent Ireland South for People Before Profit in the upcoming European elections. Five years ago I decided to step back from being a public representative, but I’ve always stayed active in different campaigns and movements. I have been shocked by the response of the EU to the brutal Israeli bombardment of Gaza and the consistent flouting of International law, and feel like I have to do something to push back.
“I want to go to the European Parliament to shine a light on the EU’s role in propping up Israel’s war machine while it mercilessly bombs and ethnically cleanses the people of Gaza. I will use this position to hold the European Union and Israel to account for this barbaric treatment of the people of Palestine.
“It was people power movements against austerity which propelled me onto the council in 2014, and defeated the government’s attempt to introduce water charges, and that’s something I feel we need more of today. We have had 10 years of supposed growth, but in reality public services, wages and living standards have been stagnating, while rents, prices and profits are skyrocketing. We need to rekindle some of that spirit of 2014 now and build campaigns for housing, healthcare and climate action,” he concluded.
